Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan

Book one of Something Dark and Holy

Publisher : Wednesday Books

Publication date : April 2^nd, 2019

Source : eArc from the publisher

Rating : 3 hearts

Synopsis

“Prepare for a snow-frosted, blood-drenched fairy tale where the monsters steal your heart and love ends up being the nightmare.” – Roshani Chokshi, New York Times bestselling author of The Star-Touched Queen

A girl who can speak to gods must save her people without destroying herself.

A prince in danger must decide who to trust.

A boy with a monstrous secret waits in the wings.

Together, they must assassinate the king and stop the war.

In a centuries-long war where beauty and brutality meet, their three paths entwine in a shadowy world of spilled blood and mysterious saints, where a forbidden romance threatens to tip the scales between dark and light. Wicked Saints is the thrilling start to Emily A. Duncan’s devastatingly Gothic Something Dark and Holy trilogy.

“This book destroyed me and I adored it.”- Stephanie Garber, New York Times bestselling author of Caraval

Review

Nadya is a special girl, she’s protected by the Gods and she can use their magic. With her country at war, she had to flee from heretics who wanted to kill her, including Prince Serefin. She will be helped in her escape by Rashid, Parijahan and Malaschiasz, they will even be able to convince her to try to kill the king.

Nadya is an interesting character and I liked to see the evolution of her thinking, both about the subjects of the Gods she worships and the people with whom they travel and who are different. She is not a character I found endearing but she is strong and confident.

Malachiasz hides a lot of secrets, at least from Nadya because I was suspicious from the beginning. He’s interesting because of its inner conflict but I think he will be even more so in the next volume.

Serefin is the character who intrigued me the most, he is not what you might call a sympathetic person but I understand his reasons, even if I don’t excuse them. I also find that in the book it is the character who changes the most, he becomes a pleasant character and I liked the change.

The story is nice but I really only got into it during the second part. I remain intrigued by the end and would really like to know how they are all going to fare. I still have a lot of questions that are still pending.

Wicked Saints is told from two perspectives, Nadya’s and Serefin’s.

Quick word: A nice story that had trouble transporting me as I would have liked.

Chronique

Nadya est jeune fille particulière, elle est protégée par les Dieux et elle peut utiliser leurs magies. Son pays étant en guerre, elle doit fuir les hérétiques qui veulent la tuer, notamment le prince Serefin. Elle sera aidée dans sa fuite par Rashid, Parijahan et Malaschiasz, ils arriveront même à la convaincre d’essayer de tuer le roi.

Nadya est un personnage intéressant et j’ai aimé voir l’évolution de sa pensée, tant aux sujets des Dieux qu’elle vénère que des gens avec qui elles voyagent et qui sont différents. Ce n’est pas un personnage que j’ai trouvé attachant mais elle est forte et sûre d’elle.

Malachiasz cache beaucoup de secrets, enfin du moins à Nadya car j’avais des soupçons dès le début. Il est intéressant de par son conflit intérieur mais je pense qu’il le sera encore plus dans le tome suivant.

Serefin est le personnage qui m’a le plus intriguée, il n’est pas ce que l’on peut appeler quelqu’un de sympathique mais je comprends ses raisons, même si je ne les excuse pas. Je trouve aussi que dans le livre c’est le personnage qui change le plus, il devient un personnage agréable et j’ai aimé e changement.

L’histoire est sympathique mais je ne suis rentrée réellement dedans que durant la deuxième partie. Je reste intriguée par la fin et j’aimerais vraiment savoir comment ils vont tous s’en sortir. J’ai encore pleins de questions qui restent en suspens.

Wicked Saints est raconté de deux points de vue, celui de Nadya et celui de Serefin.

En bref : Une histoire sympathique qui a eu du mal à me transporter comme je l’aurais voulue.

About the author

EMILY A. DUNCAN works as a youth services librarian. She received a Master’s degree in library science from Kent State University, which mostly taught her how to find obscure Slavic folklore texts through interlibrary loan systems. When not reading or writing, she enjoys playing copious amounts of video games and dungeons and dragons. Wicked Saints is her first book. She lives in Ohio.

Buy Link

https://static.macmillan.com/static/smp/wicked-saints/

Social Media Links

Website: https://eaduncan.com/
Twitter: @glitzandshadows
Instagram: @glitzandshadows
Tumblr: http://glitzandshadows.tumblr.com/

Reviews

“Prepare for a snow frosted, blood drenched fairy tale where the monsters steal your heart and love ends up being the nightmare. Utterly absorbing.” – Roshani Chokshi, New York Times bestselling author of The Star-Touched Queen

“Full of blood and monsters and magic—this book destroyed me and I adored it. Emily is a wicked storyteller, she’s not afraid to hurt her characters or her readers. If you’ve ever fallen in love with a villain you will fall hard for this book.” – Stephanie Garber, New York Times bestselling author of Caraval

“This is the novel of dark theology and eldritch blood-magic that I’ve been waiting for all my life. It’s got a world at once brutal and beautiful, filled with characters who are wounded, lovable, and ferocious enough to break your heart. A shattering, utterly satisfying read.” – Rosamund Hodge, author of Cruel Beauty and Bright Smoke, Cold Fire

“Wicked Saints is a lush, brutal, compelling fantasy that is dark, deep, and bloody—absolutely riveting! With a boy who is both man and monster, mysterious saints with uncertain motives, and a girl filled with holy magic who is just beginning to understand the full reaches of her power, this gothic jewel of a story will sink its visceral iron claws into you, never letting go until you’ve turned the last page. And truthfully, not even then -the explosive ending will haunt you for days! ” – Robin LaFevers, New York Times bestselling author of the His Fair Assassin trilogy

“Dark, bloody, and monstrously romantic. This is the villain love interest that we’ve all been waiting for.” – Margaret Rogerson, New York Times bestselling author of An Enchantment of Ravens 

“Seductively dark and enchanting, Wicked Saints is a trance you won’t want to wake from. Duncan has skillfully erected a world like no other, complete with provocative magic, sinister creatures, and a plot that keeps you guessing. This spellbinding YA fantasy will bewitch readers to the very last page.” – Adrienne Young, New York Times bestselling author of Sky in the Deep